NBA Finals 2022: Al Horford Waited To Excel In Celtics' Game 1 Stunner
Melissa Rollin, NBA columnist for Fox Sports
Al Horford has been waiting for this for 15 years.
He has an undefeated record for the longest time in NBA history.
Horford lifted that load four days ago when the Boston Celtics qualified for the Champions League. And in his first game in the big stadium, with all his might, all that buried frustration poured out on him.
Horford, 6-for-8 behind the goalie, shot 26-for-12 on 26 team points, outscoring the Celtics 120-108 at the Golden State Warriors.
The Celts took control of the fourth quarter and stole the first game from the Warriors
The first leg of the NBA Finals was incredible.
A player scored three goals in his last game and three points in his life at Horford.
As her 7-year-old son sat onstage, Horford asked what she meant.
"Thank you for this opportunity," he said with a bright smile. "It's just about going out at the end of the day and playing basketball. That's the thing."
Horford couldn't establish a better time. Jason Tatum was cold Thursday. Boston was 12 points behind in the final.
But Horford scored 11 points on four shots in the fourth quarter, including two big tackles. Celine Brown increased from 10 to 24 as the Celts defeated the Warriors 40-16.
It was incredible. It was shocking. In the final game, an inexperienced team upset the team that has been the backbone of this show for the last ten years.
In fact, according to ESPN stats, the Celtics were the only team to post a double-digit win in the fourth quarter.
The Celts did their best: they showed great strength when they fought. It was a team effort led by Horford.
It was gratifying for his teammates to see him play such a winning role.
He is the voice leader of the group. He is your expert vet. This is the man who helped raise Tatum, Brown and Marcus Smart before moving to Philadelphia for the Celtics in 2016-19.
"Al's a right A, man" with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. "Then it came to our attention. No one should be here anymore. We know you have to show a professional character and play this game professionally every day. Play a great game."
Horford's career took a turn for the worse when he signed with the 76ers as a free agent in 2019. A season later, he moved to Oklahoma City, where he played a total of 28 games last season.
He had a crack in his shoulder when the Celts brought him back in June. He forwarded the call. It was supposed to be. I wanted to prove him wrong.
In the following season, Horford averaged 11.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in under 37 minutes. And when he needed to activate the call, he answered the call on Thursday.
He scored three crucial points in 5፡ 10 and put the Celtics ahead in the second half. Twenty seconds later he stole the ball from Dream Green Green and fired again.
Brown described Horford's speech as "wonderful".
"This is what we need," Brown said. "So it came to our attention. We want this veteran leadership to be above us."
Horford has gained confidence in the team throughout the season. In January, when the Celtics were under .500, he was a calming force.
And in the last eight years he has won three championships, but he has not been afraid and has fired everyone around him.
Jason Tatum "Forgotten" in Celtic's first match
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